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If you are reading this and have no clue what a replacement launcher/homescreen is for your Android device, then this review cannot explain the sheer greatness that the LMT launcher has brought to the Android community! I will do my best to unleash it’s power for you in this article, however seeing is believing. And you just have to see this. Those accustomed to the usual launchers available..ADW, Go Launcher,etc. will be delighted to see the PIE layers and array of customization options found in it’s crust.

As of now, the APK is only available on XDA as far as I know. Follow all instructions posted there and also in the App settings. Here is a Youtube video with a great visual as well. The PIE concept was adopted from the ever famous Paranoid Android Rom, but now available without it. GREAT news for those not lucky enough to have a build for their devices!

Now please don’t be intimidated by all the bells and whistles. It WILL take some effort on your part to customize the PIE layers the way you want them. There are no preset values for Apps or toggles, etc. Which is beautiful in design really, complete control over the UI this way. Gesture features are also available, along with an ‘invisible swipe’ setting that really sets this apart from anything I’ve tried on any Android device. I’ve currently gotten it up and running on my HTC HOV, and wow is it sexy! I’d recommend that anyone interested in the newest craze for Android customization with a rooted device should give this a try. If you can’t find your device in the settings options, play with it! It thinks I’m using a HTC ONE x….so give it a try and give the guys who brought this to you a HUGE thanks button smash!!!!!

This Screen of the Day is brought to you by Thispaininmyhead. The screenshot was sent to me via his HTC EVO LTE. The following is a list of what you see and will help you identify what you like….. Lets get started!!!

Want the latest Android version on your phone?
It’s that time of the year again. Google announces the next version of Android with a host of new features, and gets everyone talking excitedly about it. The user breathlessly reads about the new features, and sweats with wondering wether he’ll get it on his brand-new phone. After all, it’s a two-year contract he has signed, so no wonder he will get it, right?
Wrong. There’s a very less chance that he will get it, and it’s not because he does not have the the very top-of-the line flagship model of the company he has bought it from. After Google announces a new version of it’s OS, it is made available after one or two months to the manufacturers so they can release it to their customers as soon as possible. So our user-in-question should get it as soon as after a month, right? But what happens actually? Why do manufactures delay so much in providing an update to their users? Why is it always that all Apple users get an update around the globe, wherever they are, leaving Android users leaving in fury and shame?

The Android diversity
Back in 2010, when Google announced its operating system, codenamed Android, there were not many oem’s who wanted to take the risk of trusting Google and making a phone based entirely off it. There was HTC, and then there were, well none. But Android began to grow at a very exponential rate, and now there are literally hundreds of oem’s making and selling Android devices. So how do the bug guys like Samsung, HTC, Sony, LG differentiate their products from others and make something that truely stands out?
These oem’s have no option but to skin what Google provides them and give their own user interface to it. This is the reason why,lets say, a Samsung phone and an HTC phone, both based on Ice Cream Sandwich, look complety different. If you have seen a nexus device, that’s how the original Android looked like before it landed to the manufacturers.

Skinning is hard
Making Android look how they want is not an easy thing. If you think it’s just a matter of copying a code and replacing it with what Google provides them, you’re entirely wrong. Skinning with their own UI is a tremendous task, and this takes months to complete. After that, they have to ensure that it is bug-free, so the user can actually enjoy instead of spending time solving the problem and cursing the manufacturer. If you are a Galaxy s3 user who recently upgraded to jelly bean, you know the problem of opening the app drawer from the homescreen- the smooth animation of ics is replaced with a hard, un-sophisticated animation if you open the app drawer after a long time. And make no mistake – the end user is not forgiving. Even small mistakes like this ruin the feel and aesthetics of the device for him, making him hate the oem more and more. So, giving Android their own UI and ensuring that it is bug free is a daunting task, which takes months.

The carrier problem
After months of hard work, when oem’s are actually ready with the update, they have to give it to the carriers(if you have a carrier based phone) to ‘pass certificates’. Carriers will never be fast. And there will be no one to blame except yourself to have bought a carrier based phone. Things begin to take an evil turn if the phone you bought isn’t a nexus phone.

The ‘worrying sick’ problem
What drives these manufacturers to go crazy in dealing with all this hard work, when the updates are free of cost, is that users are becoming aware of technology and knowing that their device isn’t up to date with the latest innovation. The moment Google announces a new OS, forums, threads, blogs get filled with the same thing – which phones will actually be able to upgrade to it. Users search like crazy and hope that their phone will make it to the list. And when their manufacturers declare that their phone wont be receiving an update, users get frustrated – and promise never ever to buy from that manufacturer again. People turn to the absolute last option they have – custom ROMs, and without proper researching, they end with a big paper bill.

The solution
The fact is that – no one can change all this. The one thing, however, that you can do about it is change how you think. You must understand that it is really tough for oems and carriers to co-operate with one another to finally bring up the update to you. Ask yourself this question – does my device serve the purpose for which it is bought for? If the answer is yes, then most probably you don’t need an update. Or if you are the one that must be at the top of the Android version, straight away buy a nexus device. You’ll be ensured a speedy delivery of the updates, delivered straight from Google.

Those who are brand new to creating custom ROMs and want an easy place to start learning.
Those who just want to modify shipped ROMs or someone else’s custom ROMs to their liking.
Those who are confused by all those scripts and complex commands required for building and extracting.

WARNING!

This is NOT a tool to automatically turn you into a full-fledged ROM developer. ROM development normally involves work from the ground up and involves time, research and patience. I am just giving the tools to help the average person get things done quickly from an existing base.

This kitchen is mainly intended for HTC devices

WARNING: If you have a newer HTC device that is not LISTED ON THE SITE, do not attempt to flash a ROM that you built with this kitchen. Instead, you must do the following if your device is NOT listed below:

Create a file under the kitchen’s /tools/edify_defs folder, with the name being the same as the value of ro.product.device (found in your device’s /system/build.prop file).
See the template file in the edify_defs folder to see how to set the mount points inside the file you created. Look at the other files in that folder for example

There is also support for non-HTC devices (and perhaps more that are not mentioned on the link):
NOTE: If your device is not mentioned here, then I don’t know the extent of its support – please don’t ask.

note – a custom recovery is needed to flash these custom rom’s!

kitchen download and help

for setup instructions; for problems using the kitchen
for ROM issues, such as your device not booting

boot.img – This file is a binary representation of the root file system of the device. It contains the system kernel and all files required to start the core part of Androidsystem – This is a directory containing all files found under /system on a running Android device. It has exactly the same layout.META-INF – This is directory containing the update manifest and script. The manifest is a file which lists all file included in the update, with their SHA1 checksums. The update script is used to apply the update on a device

The HTC One V, known as HOV, features a unique curved-chin design that makes it easy to hold and a distinctive accessory to your life. But don’t be deceived by its compact size. Like all One series phones, it packs an impressive list of features including a best-in-class camera.

Camera- there’s no delay in the camera’s loading time and it also comes packed with a zero shutter delay also added to the awesomeness is the 720p HD video recording with a 5mp camera!

Sound- HOV comes with the mighty and powerful feature called ‘Beats Audio , so everything you listen on your phone, be it music or some random youtube video it all comes roaring with the powerful bass effect.

Design – The One V comes with a uniquely curved chin design and a metal body available in black, silver, brown colours and with a 3.7 inch touch screen – it’s all together a fantastic phone.

So my fellow bloggers, any question about the phone, ROMs available, rooting, you can ask in the comments section; all your queries will be answered as soon as possible by our team.

I think it is fair to say that we all heard of Android by now, sure as hell we already know what Google is and its products. From the world’s #1 Web search engine to world’s #1 OS for smartphones in just a couple of years. ANDROID!

If you are living under a rock and you didn’t understand what is all this Android stuff, have no fear, I will try to break it down for you in the next few lines. Here are a few facts about Android:

Android is a Linux-based operating system (OS), originally developed by Android, Inc. – a company which was later on bought by Google.

The first Android phone was sold in October 2008, the HTC Dream.

Android is an open-source OS, Google releasing the code constantly, under the Apache License.

Android had a world-wide smarth phone market share, with 75% points, back in 2012, with 500 millions devices activated in total.

Android, Inc. was founded in October 2003 by Andi Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sears and Chris White.

Google took Android, Inc. into custody on August 17, 2005. Key employees of Android, Inc. remained at the company.

Major releases are named in alphabetical order after a dessert or sugary treat (i.e version 1.5 was Cupcake, 1.6 was Donut etc.).

First version of Android was 1.5 a.k.a Cupcake.

Current version of Android is: 4.2.1, the very well known “Jellybean”.

Our team consists in Android enthusiastic fans, who are daily at the task to enjoy what Google created at first, but carried on by millions of people all over the world.

We are requesting all passengers to join us as we discover the Android experience at its finest!